schneefink | Black Sails finale

We watched the last four episodes of Black Sails today and I have a whole big confused tangled of intense emotions. Separate ones for the Watsonian and Doylist perspective: the latter I'm not yet sure about, I think I'll need more time to think about it, and the former mostly anger.

FUUUUUUCK JOHN SILVER. He's still a selfish asshole, just of a different kind than when the show started. "I betrayed everything you've worked for because I love you," how did Madi not stab him. And it wasn't even a spontaneous decision after her kidnapping, no, he was working toward preventing that war that Flint and Madi wanted for far longer than that. When did he decide? When the pirates failed to invade Nassau, or already while he was living with Madi at the maroon camp? When he decided not to tell Flint about Thomas being alive as soon as he found out, was he already planning on using that to figuratively disarm him? "I don't want that war because the cost would be too high," who the FUCK are you to decide that. How about you ask the slaves fleeing their masters and freeing their brethren from their chains if they think the cost is too high. I thought living at the maroon camp with Madi for months made him sympathetic to the fight of the slaves, apparently not. Nope, it's all only about himself. What a fucking asshole. Flint should have let him be shot.

Max and Anne and Jack and Featherstone and Idelle got a very nice ending, that at least was an enjoyable silver lining. I really liked Marion Guthrie, I liked her rapport with Max, but I also liked that Max refused the plan presented to her and be the governor's wife and found another way instead. "Mark" Read was a delightful bonus at the end.

So Flint was subdued by Silver and his men and taken to the plantation, where he met Thomas again. I loved that reunion. But, uh, seeing Thomas again doesn't turn back time. What, does Silver really think Flint will just stay on that plantation with Thomas forever and be happy or at least satisfied? I give them a few weeks before they break out. And Flint is still the only one who knows where the treasure chest is. He should get in contact with Madi. They missed the timing for the war they wanted, but that doesn't mean they'll give up.

I did not expect quite that many people from the Walrus' crew to die, and I was very sad that the Walrus itself didn't make it. Mr. de Groot didn't make it, Joji was killed by Flint himself, and there were very few survivors. Billy survived, but fuck him.

Tomorrow we'll watch all the specials and finally start reading fic, which I look forward to. (I want ALL the canon-divergent AUs.) I'll try to clarify my feelings about the finale.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

rydra_wong

As a side-note (brain is not up to proper comments today): on the subject of in-depth discussions, and meta about Silver in particular, I highly recommend seeking out interviews with Luke Arnold, particularly the two eps of Fathoms Deep (a fan podcast) he did.

He is legit fannish, and has put even more time and energy into over-thinking and analyzing this stuff than the rest of us. Basically he's a self-identified "uber-super-blacksails-fangirl" who also happens to be in the show; it's pretty adorable.

He has some fascinating meta on his take on Silver's thought processes (without ever giving the impression that he thinks his reading is more valid than anyone else's).

Jon Steinberg's also very good for insight into the showrunners/writers' perspective.

From:

schneefink

Thanks for the tip, I'll check that podcast out :)

Following the show in real-time must have been something. I bet fandom after the season finale was... a lot.

From:

dr_zook

I bet fandom after the season finale was... a lot.

Dude, I remember having followed a few Black Sails infested blogs during that time-- and they just exploded. It was highly entertaining! :D

From:

schneefink

I'm sorry I missed that! But relieved I could watch everything in one go instead of having to wait a week for each new episode. What were the most common reactions? Sadly there isn't much about the fandom on Fanlore.

From:

dr_zook

Heh! I could mention here that I mostly follow(ed) SilverFlint shippers, but obviously only the nice ones? Because therefore there was only shocked happines about the Flint/Thomas reunion, and also deeply felt heartbreak with Silver. Because it's kind of obvious that he won't reconcile with Madi, but stand on that cliff and stare bereft at where sea meets skies.

... And if that's no fine point to weave your post-canon fics from I don't know. :D There is, seriously, so much goodness. If you asked me for recs I wouldn't know where to begin, but I could start?

Running home to you by vowelinthug is a very fine option for post canon. Actually all of her writing is a blessing; her way to join depth with humour is brilliant.

Closer to the water by mapped is about Mark Read (you found yourself intrigued with, right?) and his relationship with Jack and Anne, and if this fic isn't the very best that could have happened to a character who appeared for what? 2 minutes within a show a lightning should strike me down. Also, the author is a blessing as well.

El Cuentacuento by straddling_the_atmosphere presents maybe the possibility to warm you with John Silver-- or whatever his name could be. I love the way the show creators solved his backstory.

Yer mother darns socks in hell by youatemytailor is, as one could guess, a slightly lighter take on the SilverFlint situation. Very nicely done!

Better men by LittleLynn is a brave piece about amnesia!Flint around bitter!Silver; it's a WIP, something I hesitate to recommend usually, but this is very fine.

I hope you enjoy some of these! Tell me if our tastes in fic overlap. :3

Edited Date: 2018-06-05 04:12 pm (UTC)

From:

rydra_wong

I need to compile a proper fics recs post at some point, but it occurs to me that this might be highly relevant to your interests:

stele3's ongoing Tether series

Three stories so far, post-series, tipping into Silver/Flint/Hamilton, hopeful but with a credibly damaged and prickly James and John and a marvellous Thomas POV. And effective use of supporting OCs (something that doesn't always work well for me).

From:

dr_zook

*makes grabby hands* Oh, thank you very much. Sounds very intriguing! ♥

I MEAN WHAT CAN GO WRONG WHEN YOUR ICON LOOKS THE WAY HE DOES.

From:

rydra_wong

THOMAS LOOKS AT HIM LOOKING THE WAY HE DOES AND LOOKS AT HIM AND JAMES LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND HAS SOME THOUGHTS, IS WHAT.

I feel like Thomas can sometimes end up as a bit of a plaster saint in post-series fic, the Best Kindest Most Pure Noble Person Ever. Which is a terrible fate for a character. stele3 writes him with his own brand of ruthlessness (as well as kindness), and it's fantastic.

From:

schneefink

To be fair it's really hard to write Thomas post-series! You get a few glimpses of how he was more than ten years ago, and since then he's been through terrible experiences, and we know no details. Almost anything would be plausible. I look forward to reading another version of him :)

From:

rydra_wong

To be fair it's really hard to write Thomas post-series!

Oh, definitely! It's got to be an extrapolation in one way or another. I think kvikindi's version is amazing, and stele3's is very different but also plausible and wonderful. And they both ring true as people who could have been the Thomas we see in the flashbacks.

A couple of nice bits of Thomas meta I bookedmarked, in case they're of interest:

http://sidewaystime.tumblr.com/post/159278265615/crabsandlobsters-yes-lets-talk-about-thomas
http://keensers.tumblr.com/post/160054663533/wow-since-we-never-talk-about-black-sails-thomas

From:

dr_zook

Thomas can sometimes end up as a bit of a plaster saint in post-series fic

Oh, definitely. That's why I'm always glad about him when he's written with a ruthless flavour, and being cunningly sharp with words. I like it very much when he banters with Silver just on this side of jarring. ♥

From:

rydra_wong

Yes, Thomas and Silver are among the characters who never meet in canon who I'd be most fascinated to see interacting and talking just for the sake of it -- it'd be so interesting.

Max and Flint would be another two (okay, they are technically in one scene together in canon, but don't interact as such). Ditto Miranda and Silver. Or Anne and Flint. And I loved the bit of Madi and Eleanor interaction we got, but could happily watch five times as much.

From:

rydra_wong

THOMAS LOOKS AT HIM LOOKING THE WAY HE DOES AND LOOKS AT HIM AND JAMES LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND HAS SOME THOUGHTS, IS WHAT.

I MEAN NOT TO CALL THAT GOING WRONG, BUT IT DEFINITELY LEADS TO A NUMBER OF EVENTS OCCURRING.

From:

dr_zook

:D I like the way your mind works.

From:

rydra_wong

Oh, it's the way stele3's mind works; I can claim no credit. *g*

From:

schneefink

Thanks for the recs! :D

From:

rydra_wong

I think there's a whole second wave of people who got into the show because of all the fannish screaming after the finale (Gavia Baker-Whitelaw talks about this in her "Not That, This!" podcast appearance).